Flowers and Insects. XXI. Data of Anthecology

Abstract

In KNUTH'S Bliltenbiologie is found a mixture of the botanical subject of insect visitors of flowers, the entomological subject of flower visits of insects, and collectors' notes which have no definite relation to either subject but rather to the personal movements of collectors. He states that his work is based upon MtLLER'S, but he fails to include data from works which follow MYLLER'S method (MtLLER'S Alpenblumen and MAcLEOD'S works on flowers of the Pyrenees and Flanders), and includes collectors' notes which suppress it, although such notes from French and Italian records are excluded as perhaps not justifying the labor of compilation. In a work which repeats MtLLER'S lists for Low Germany for the third time American anthecological lists are suppressed. ANTHECOLOGICAL DATA.-These are lists of insect visitors made to show the species, their frequency, their efficiency as pollinators, and the possibility of their having some influence in determining the characters of the flowers. MfLLER'S lists show these details. In the case of the bees he indicated the sexes, and whether they were sucking nectar or collecting pollen. To note the sexes is important because female bees fly longer than males and are more likely to make repeated visits. To note the fact of pollen-collecting is also important. A female bee will carry pollen all day from flowers on which the male rarely occurs. From observations at Carlinville the females of nest-making bees average 20.6 visits to the males IO.3. The inquiline bees show females 8.8 to males 8.o. In anthecology MfULLER'S lists are valuable as regards species and visits, but they fail to indicate the frequency. In i9o8 I rejected M-ULLER'S method and adopted the practice of capturing the visitors as they came, noting species, and counting individuals. It is impossible to indicate the importance of insects to flowers by lists of species, because efforts to increase the lists involve an exaggeration of the importance of rare and exceptional cases.